Note to self...

Don't let your three year old help wrap her brother's presents or she "might" tell them exactly what they are getting!

Mothering MSC

Some things you just have to accept when you mother many small children:

-You may not shower everyday, or every other day, or maybe just once a week
-Crumbs, lots of crumbs on the kitchen floor, or any floor for that matter, especially in the car. (unless you have a dog)
-public tantrums... Inevitable
-someone always needs a hug or attention, you included
-not everyone or maybe anyone will like the dinner you cooked
-people will look at you like you are crazy in public, especially if it is a week you haven't showered much
-just prepare an answer when people tell you "your hands are full", you will never stop hearing it...
-when you get sick, call your Mom, she makes everything better!

FYI, I love my life!


Thanks Mom for coming to help!

Just because

We used to refer to wade as our old man... Well, now we have an old lady too. I love seeing my kids personalities develop as they get older. I can't wait to see what they are like as adults...

Thinking out loud

So I am considering deleting my blog... Unless you can convince me otherwise. I don't have the time or creativity to make this blog what I picture it to be in my head. My house is dirty, my kids need attention, and at the end of the day I am exhausted. But, on the other hand,I love to read other peoples blogs. I love to get a glimpse into my far (and nearby) friends lives. And pretty soon, (gulp) we are going to move, and the people who my kids know and love, who I love, are not going to be the people we see several times a week. But I still want to be a part of their lives and I want them to be a part of our life... Thoughts?

cheekwood trains

here is my advice:

go see the trains at Cheekwood!
the exibit is open until december, so wait and go when it is cooler.
take a train enthusiast, it makes the experience more fun.
it is impressive to see, but even more for a child, take your kids.
find a coupon!

her day, finally documented

there is something different about celebrating your 1 year olds birthday when you think it is the last one you will celebrate. lets be honest, it is rare for me not to be pregnant at this point and i can assure you that i am not. (hello red tent, it has been 5 years) my emotions are so jumbled up in my head that i can't possibly right them down or expect them to make sense to anyone else. however, i am excited nora is 1 and i can't wait to see how she will continue to change so quickly in this year to come. she is such a sweet, sweet girl.
stats:  21lbs, 28 inches

smitten...

smit·ten

[smit-n]

–adjective

1. struck, as with a hard blow.

2. grievously or disastrously stricken or afflicted.

3. very much in love.

i am smitten with nora.

the everyday...

 as a toddler i would often sleep at the top of our stairs (along with every stuffed animal and doll i owned) just so i could still be a part of the noise and activity of the house. i didn't want to miss a thing. when i was a young girl i liked to climb trees, go to ballet, play teacher and dolls and pester my brother. i liked to make mud pies, go swimming, play dress up, write songs, and sing. i liked to ride bikes and go for "discovery" walks along the creek near our house. most of all i liked to be with people. i remember constantly asking my mom if a friend could come over or if i could go down the street to see if my friends were home. i didn't like to be alone. i always wanted to be a mom. 

some days i have to remind myself that i am getting to do exactly what i wanted.

my everyday can be mundane, crazy, exhausting, unending (read-LONG), but my everyday is filled with children, (4 to be exact), laughter, hugs, fights, yelling, food, crumbs, sticky hands, kisses, tantrums, songs, shoes, seat belts. it is exactly what i always wanted.  i am never alone.

your every-days... (i don't want to forget)

kyle- you insist on keeping EVERY piece of paper you bring home from school. you even check the trash can to make sure i don't throw stuff away. (i do) 
wade- you are obsessed with wearing your camo shorts (i bought for a dollar at a consignment sale already faded and used). you will wear them EVERY chance you can.
paige- you have been carrying your baby around with you everywhere the past couple weeks, you hold her so gently and always remember to bring her bottle.  
nora-  you have finally become frustrated with the fact that you can't move.  but you aren't a fighter (yet), you end up on your tummy, "swim", give up and lay your head down and suck your two fingers.   

a "creative " block

i read about this little contest and my mind started to turn...

i have 4 kids, unique in every way.  and so i decided to make a block with the idea of each one of them being represented.  i picked out fabrics based on their favorite color but thought it needed more to it.  maybe it will become a pillow but i am hoping it will become a quilt because i had so much fun making it, i would love to make more!

here is me trying to put this block into words:

 kyle- our first born, perfectionist,likes routine, only has one way to do things.
wade- two personalities in one. unpredictable.  crazy and loud, sweet and affectionate, loves chocolate 
paige- raw edges, soft and feminine, bold and sassy, not perfectly lined up
nora- sweet, simple.  favorite fabrics that can't be forgotten because she is at my favorite age.

a place of my own...

i don't need my own room, just my own corner. everyone needs their own space!  the details:  i scored this desk off craigslist, it is a double sided desk. i prefer to keep one side up against the wall to create a really deep work space.  i have had that chair in my room since i was a child and got my first real desk.  (i am hoping to recover the seat, stay tuned for which fabric i choose!)  the embroidery hoops contain my favorite fabrics that i can't bare to completely use up or even cut to fit in the hoop correctly.  **more details to come on the "block" hanging inspired by my four little people.

a list for 2011

potty training for paige (getting the underwear out of the tub and onto her body)

crawling for nora (she is just 3 months away from her 1st birthday)

super powers for these two (writing of one, reading for the other)

and quilting for me.  finishing more this year than last.  (which shouldn't be to hard to do)

hair help?

it is no surprise that paige's hair is a beautiful mess most of the time, it fits her personality.  she does not like to have her hair up or a clip in it... we are already disagreeing about her hair and she is 2, sheesh.

when did you get your daughter's hair cut? where did you go?
anybody have any tips or advice?? 

(we had a wonderful christmas and i hope to post about our 11 day journey soon.)

halloween!

i am not a big fan of halloween.  it isn't my favorite holiday.  i already have cobwebs in my house, i don't need to add fake ones for decoration.  but, this year we couldn't think of a better way to spend it then with friends from our church and a bunch of the sweetest kids and costumes.  dare i say, i am excited about next year already.  

my first quilt

about 8 years ago i was a newly wed with a medical student for a husband.  i envisioned us hanging out together every night watching movies, eating popcorn, making cookies, talking and enjoying marital bliss.  clearly, that was not reality.  i married a medical student who needed to study on a regular basis... daily.  (something that i didn't do a lot of in college.)  i talked with my mom over the phone and quickly (this was probably my first interest in sewing much to my mother's dismay) faxed me a couple of easy ways to get started and a list of tools i would need.  i was extremely fortunate to have a fabric store about 1 mile from my house which helped when i ran out of thread, needed more fabric, or reached a new step with new supplies to get.  i picked a pattern for my blocks and just started.  this new "hobby" of mine created something for me to do in the same room as my husband while he studied. (his grades even improved after we got married)  i hand quilted this quilt when it was ready and this was definitely my longest quilting project.  since this quilt my taste has changed in fabric and i have enjoyed doing less traditional blocks but this quilt will always remind me of our first year of marriage. 

please check out the link below and enter a quilt today!  or be inspired to start something new! 

firsts this fall

• we have had a busy month tearing down wallpaper enjoying our first fall with a backyard.
• we went to gentry farm, not a first but somewhere we go every year for a classic fall-ish, pumpkin, hayride (with no hay), farm experience. 
• we went on vacation here for the first time.  clearly going in October only enhanced the beauty of that place!
• kyle has his first crush on a girl. what in the world. this is a boy who never used to even glance at girls, now he not only talks about this particular girl but draws her picture and blushes when he says or hears her name. he is smitten. and he is 5.  he sat by her on the bus to his field trip today, both ways.  it was his first time on a school bus.
• most of what we are experiencing with paige lately is a first.  she demands a lot of attention or finds a way to get it.  she got car sick for the first time on our vacation, that was exciting. 
• nora got her first tooth.  and had her first solid food.  it is going by too fast.
• we live close enough to walk to church,  definitely a first. 

i am not alone...

this was sent via email from a friends of mine. hilarious!  

1.  i made mac n cheese the other day and realized (after i'd already boiled the noodles) that i didn't have any milk.  you'll be glad to know that breast milk works just as well.  

2.  i have eaten my childrens' emergency snack (both in the secret van compartment and in my diaper bag) three out of the last four days.  perhaps i should start packing myself an emergency snack since it would appear that i am the one who needs it.  

3.  i had to try on three shirts today before i found one that didn't have some sort of spit up, macaroni, or other mommy related stain on it.  Guess i should pay closer attention before i hang things up in my closet.  and, actually, the shirt i ended up wearing also has a stain on it but it was the least noticeable of the three.  i'll be doing laundry today.  

slowing down...

i wish i could say things are slowing down as fall is slowly approaching... instead it feels like we are winding up for something. only i don't know what that something is, which makes it even more overwhelming. you see the picture above is from a year ago. a year ago, i was pregnant with nora (and still wearing cute jeans), kyle was holding my hand (rare), paige was sweetly sitting on my lap (even more rare), and we were watching this...

i know this may sound insignificant, but i already forgot about those shoes that wade was wearing. did he really wear crocs that color, did i buy those? i don't remember.

so much about this "season" of my life is hard. hard. but it is going by way. too. fast.

and i want to remember it all.

another lunch...

we are having all kinds of adjustments here in our house getting used to our "new normal". having a school age child has thrown us into a whole other world including packing a lunch EVERYDAY. so after searching for some creative lunch ideas i came across EASY LUNCH BOXES. i am extremely interested in how it would practically work for my 5 year old, but it would definitely cut down on the plastic bags. here is a link to a giveaway for exactly what you need to get started!

nora

4.5 months old 13lbs.7oz.
she is #4. she is a "dream" baby. she is everything (and more) that i love about babies. if you don't love babies, spend some time with her. you will love her. she eats. she plays. she smiles. she sleeps. she does all of this well. she does all of this amidst the chaos that #1, #2, and most certainly #3 create. she has a dimple on her right cheek when she smiles really big. she frowns. (see above) maybe she will be a deep thinker. maybe she is getting ideas of how to "out do" her brother and sister when she is their age. maybe she is in need of a nap. maybe someone just woke her up from a nap. maybe she just likes to make that face at the camera. she watches... everything. she loves to be held. she loves her swing. she sleeps in our closet. she closes her eyes when she giggles. her nose wrinkles when she smiles. she is almost 5 months. it is going too fast. i don't want to miss a thing.

i love her.

blogger therapy

the day went something like this:

after the 8:00 AM drop off we headed to the YMCA so i could workout. i put the kids in childcare, found a magazine and headed towards a bike to "workout". would you believe the power went out about 5 minutes after i got on the bike. after some confirmation that a transformer blew and the whole "block" was out of power i knew i should probably head to get the kids, thinking all of the kids in childcare were probably freaking out. i didn't really want to workout today anyway. i go pick up the kids... while getting nora and paige, wade sees me. and maybe out of shear excitement from seeing me he pees in his pants right there on the floor. fabulous. i try to get to the car as quickly as possible and hopefully not have the same experience i had exiting the day before. since it is only 9:00 AM we stop by trader joes. (i love their semi sweet morsels!) at least everything went well in there. wade even told the nice lady checking us out that he peed in his pants yesterday and today. she gave him extra stickers because she thought he was hilarious. (mam, that is probably just fueling the flame because that kid LOVES stickers.) we got home and tried to put nora down for a nap... paige and wade made that unsuccessful. so we ate lunch at 10:30 AM today... and then i rushed to get everyone in the car to get to nora's 4 month check up. all of the kids did really well in the doctor's office, i was shocked. the kids each get to pick out a sticker, and because they behaved so well i decide they can have two. while wade is having a little trouble deciding which sticker to get, paige is unrolling the whole thing of stickers, again. and then somewhere between saying thank you with my receipt in hand and heading to the door wade LOSES it. apparently, he really wanted the bob the builder sticker. but because of his outburst i decide to be hard core and tell him it is time to go. just imagine what the next longest three to five minutes of my life looked like. i had nora in a sling, paige running around, and wade yelling and kicking on the floor of the waiting room. i couldn't get a good grip on him because of nora in the sling who is now crying both from the 4 shots she just had and the fact that she is being whipped around as i try to wrangle her brother. paige is looking at herself in the mirror. at this moment i really didn't know what to do. i finally get wade around the corner from his main audience to the sick waiting area. a mother graciously offers me her help. (of course i am thinking about the sick kid with her) she asks about getting paige, but really she is the best behaved at the moment. i ask her to grab nora out of the sling, because she has kicked up her crying to another notch louder while i am trying not to accidentally rip wade's arm out of socket. i wrestle wade into the empty stroller that i had, clever huh. we have a little "chat" quickly. no stickers. stop fighting. i get nora back from the mom of the sick kid (don't you wonder what the child was sick with???) and try to get to the door except wade is arching his back and putting his feet on the ground keeping the stroller from moving. i tip the stroller backwards on two wheels, and we are moving. don't forget wade is still crying and nora begins to cry again too and paige is just having trouble focusing on the task of walking. we try to regroup in the hallway. this is when i realize i am dripping with sweat and i got a workout in today after all.